Chapter 1 - Trust No One

Trust no one.

The phrase was a code that he had to live by all his life. He could never reveal his secret to anyone. Nobody could comprehend his ever-present burden. It is for this reason he lived a life full of lies and deceit. His mannerisms towards others, his disposition, his abilities…they were all lies.

And it was all because of the past he never accepted. It was because of a decision he never made. His childhood was riddled with pain, suffering, blackouts, memory loss, and the occasional slaughter. He needed to stay hidden. He would never go back to that life. Not again…

He looked in the mirror to see if he was ready.

He could see himself in his entirety. His soft, light brown eyes shined incessantly as they scanned his reflection. His spiky, gravity-defying, dark brown hair was as unfixable as ever. His uniform, on the other hand, looked fine. The white-collared polo was neatly put on underneath a dark vest, the same hue as his pants, and the tie was put on properly as well.

After checking himself to see if he was ready for school, Sawada Tsunayoshi headed down the stairs of his quaint Namimori house. Tsuna promptly put on his shoes and shouted to his mother, "I'm leaving!" Tsuna's mother, Sawada Nana, gave a warm smile and said to him, "Alright! Be good at school today!"

Tsuna rushed outside the house like a dart. His hand grasped the strap of his bag firmly as he walked to school. He knew that some bullies could come out of anywhere while he was walking and he needed to keep his bag, and its contents, safe. It wasn't like Tsuna couldn't handle them. In fact, if he wanted to, he could take them all down with both hands behind his back, even kill them.

No, he would tell himself, if I killed them, it would attract unnecessary attention towards me. I need to stay below the radar.

He was able to get to school without any unnecessary conflict. His school, Namimori Middle was almost empty at the time. A few students would be seen every once in a while, but none of them would linger for long. It wasn't really a surprise to Tsuna. Why would there be a lot of students on the grounds if class was in session?

He wasn't late on purpose. His alarm did ring, however he slept late and needed the extra hour. He didn't think that it was a bad thing to get the amount of sleep needed. He was confident of his cause.

He decided that he would make a run for it. That's what a regular student would do if he was late, right? He quickly went in the school and tried his best to walk as fast as he could, enough to be swift, but just below the point when it could be considered running. The last thing Tsuna needed right then was to attract the attention of the any member of the school's disciplinary committee.

Thankfully, he was able to get to the classroom without being punished by the school's sadistic prefect. He made sure to put on his 'pathetic face' on before opening the door.

"Uhmm…" he said in the most miserable voice he could muster, "Sorry I'm late."

Tsuna was then openly greeted by sneers, boos, and a few crumpled up pieces of paper. Of course, being labeled 'No-Good Tsuna', he wasn't exactly well loved. Another layer of cover, another annoyance to be dealt with for the rest of his life.

"Ah, if it isn't Sawada Tsunayoshi," jeered the teacher. "Now, take your seat this instant, and perhaps I will spare you of a question."

This was another thing Tsuna hated: the inability of compassion among the people in his school. If only...

"Y-yes."

Tsuna quietly slipped into his seat without any complaint. Silently cursing himself, he gave a deep sigh as he sat down. The teacher rambled on with the discussion, and Tsuna obviously didn't care one bit. Yes, he did understand everything the teacher was saying- he could even surpass the teacher's own knowledge - however, he needed stay out of interest. If he allowed his full potential to go through, they could easily track him.

And that was the last thing he wanted right now.

"Alright, class," the teacher said, breaking Tsuna out of his mental loathing, "Time for the test to start!"

Shall I get zero this time, Tsuna thought, or shall I get five percent?

The teacher promptly slapped the thick test paper on Tsuna's table. Giving Tsuna a jeering look, the teacher announced to the class, "Remember, this test counts for a majority of your grade! Even if you didn't do well for the other quizzes and such, you can make up for it on this test!" The teacher started moving around the classroom, giving each student a copy of the test paper.

"The reason why this is so," he continued," is because this is a nationwide test being given to the schools to assess exactly how well they are able to teach their students." The teacher looked back at Tsuna, and that jeering look hardened, as if it was looking to pierce the young brunette's heart. "Do not fool around."

Tsuna did his best to give a frightened look. What a fool.

He turned his attention back to the test paper which he was ready to fail. He held his unlucky number two pencil in his hand and looked over the paper he could have so easily completed in less than 30 minutes. So the answer to number one is letter A, so perhaps I will choose letter C...

The teacher sat down at his desk. His gaze could have burnt a hole right through Tsuna's neck, if such a phenomenon were possible. Regardless, Tsuna ignored him. Such a pest, that teacher is. Why can't he mind his own damn business? At any rate, where was I? Ah, yes, letter C...

Are you seriously letting those bastards get away with treating you like dirt?

The calm yet strict voice startled Tsuna. He quickly looked at the others, wondering if they heard the voice as well. Just then, he heard the teacher snarl, "No cheating, Sawada."

What a bastard...

So. Will you let them continue to oppress you?

Sweat started to drip a little from Tsuna's forehead.

Who are you?

Will you let them continue?

Tsuna's heart seemed to open up, and rage started to fill his thoughts.

I don't want them to. I never wished for such a pathetic lifestyle. If I could have it my way, these sadistic bastards would be in hell and I'd have a nice, luxurious lifestyle as a renowned scholar. But...

He hesitated.

I need to stay hidden. They...

If you just let me through, they could never touch you. You could make sure that they would never, ever try to get you back.

Really?

Yes. All you have to do is let me through…

Tsuna's vision started to blur and his will seemed to falter. After a few short moments, he completely blacked out.

Tsuna woke up in his bed.

What…just happened?

All he could remember was taking the test, then…

That voice, he thought, who was that?

He sat up and looked out the window. It was already dark. Just to be sure, he checked his alarm clock. Midnight.

I guess it was just a dream…

…or…

…was it?

Tsuna started the day as he usually did. This time, he was able to get to class before it was in session. As he walked through the hallway, he noticed that some of the students were glaring at him.

What in blazes is their problem?

He reached his classroom, and instead of the usual sneers, his classmates were giving frightened and discriminating looks. The classroom was enveloped in a dead silence. It was like the temperature dropped by a number of degrees. Tsuna gave an honestly confused look.

Did I do something wrong?

The school day proceeded on with the majority of people giving him terrified stares. None of the teachers insulted him as they often did, and he was left alone. It really was strange, and the class was very quiet.

The biggest surprise, though, came when it was time to give the results of the test.

Tsuna wasn't sure what would happen since all he could remember was blacking out at the start. He listened intently as the teacher talked.

He was trembling, and looked like he would jump out the window. His face was riddled with surprise and fright.

"O-okay, class…"

He's stammering? Tsuna thought, That's very unlike him.

"…I-I'm going to start with the highest score…The student…got a perfect score."

Whispers could be heard. The test had been an advanced coverage of the topics they had recently discussed, and other various subjects. They doubted that even the teacher could get it perfect without the help of textbooks and the internet.

I wonder who got it...

"The student who got perfect…" A hushed silence came upon the room. Tsuna unconsciously leaned forward. Somehow, he felt like he already knew the answer, but he needed to be sure. Could it really possibly be…?

"…is Sawada Tsunayoshi." A number of spontaneous gasps escaped the mouths of the students. The star students gave a face that obviously said, 'Him? He got it, of all the people? Not me?', and the rest of them had looks of pure surprise. Tsuna, on the other hand, was sitting dead still, as though in a catatonic state. A faint word escaped his breast, spoken in a dead whisper, as though the word would be his last.

"What…?"